The governor has a big decision to make about the Eklutna River and hydro project. Here’s what to know. 

The Eklutna Power Plant, pictured present connected March 1, 2024, is located connected nan Old Glenn Highway on nan Knik River. Water from Eklutna Lake is piped to nan plant, wherever capable energy is generated to powerfulness astir 25,000 Anchorage and Mat-Su homes. (Jeremy Hsieh/Alaska Public Media)

There’s been a flurry of developments successful nan past fewer weeks astir a connection to reverse immoderate ecological harm caused by damming up nan Eklutna River adjacent Anchorage decades ago.  

The owners of nan Eklutna Hydroelectric Project, which relies connected that dammed up h2o to make reliable, cleanable energy for astir 25,000 homes, sent their final pitch connected April 25 to Gov. Mike Dunleavy for reappraisal and approval, but not each of nan stakeholders work together pinch nan proposal.

Here’s what to know. 

What does nan connection say?

The proposal package is hundreds of pages agelong pinch a batch of science, engineering and analysis. But basically, arsenic things guidelines now, there’s astir a 90-10 divided of nan disposable h2o successful Eklutna Lake: 90% goes to powerfulness procreation and 10% becomes pat water. And astir of nan Eklutna River is dry. 

The scheme earlier nan politician would trim a 3rd portion into that pastry from powerfulness generation, putting astir 10% of nan h2o into nan Eklutna River. It would support astir of nan stream flowing year-round.

This scheme relies connected an existing passageway that pipes h2o to nan Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility’s Eklutna Water Treatment Facility. Anchorage gets astir 90% of its drinking h2o from here. 

There’s a relationship constituent successful this passageway and pipeline strategy called a portal valve that’s astir a mile downstream from nan dam. The electrical utilities want to instal immoderate caller infrastructure astir this portal valve that would support nan city’s h2o proviso whole, but besides merchandise h2o connected nan surface, partially restoring nan barren river. 

Why is this truthful controversial?

There’s astir a 100 years of backstory. 

The astir immediate, large image rumor is that a batch of different parties want that water. The process playing retired now was group up successful a deal made successful nan 1990s to thief nan national authorities privatize nan hydro project.

That deal says nan politician has to springiness “equal consideration” to 8 different interests. The large ones are powerfulness generation, nan city’s drinking h2o proviso and wildlife, particularly salmon that utilized to spawn successful Eklutna River and Eklutna Lake.

The utilities developed nan plan, and they opportunity it restores a batch of food residence connected nan stream and strikes a bully balance pinch all nan different stakeholders. 

Do those different stakeholders agree? 

No. 

The utilities’ portal valve scheme leaves astir a mile of nan stream dry, keeping food from coming and going to nan reservoir and its tributaries. 

The activity of nan Native Village of Eklutna, nan Anchorage Assembly and conservation and wildlife interests want to afloat reconstruct nan river. They’ve moreover supported fully removing nan dam to fto food scope Eklutna Lake and its tributaries. 

Within nan city, there’s besides a related, messy conflict betwixt nan Assembly and Mayor Dave Bronson, who supports nan utilities.

When did nan reservoir get location successful nan first place?

It goes backmost to a businessman successful nan 1920s who did it without addressing nan literal downstream consequences. The food were mostly trim off. What remained of nan stream became a batch little productive, and Eklutna mislaid a assets that was interwoven pinch its civilization and economy. This historical wounded looms complete everything. 

A caller reservoir was built successful nan 1950s higher upriver, adjacent nan earthy outlet of nan reservoir to nan river. After nan 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, it was rebuilt taller. That’s nan existent dam. 

The original reservoir was abandoned. The Conservation Fund collaborated pinch Eklutna and paid to person nan original reservoir removed successful 2018. 

It’s worthy noting Eklutna Lake isn’t manmade – it would beryllium without nan dam. Power procreation would still beryllium possible if it were removed, but astatine reduced capacity and little reliably. In this scenario, nan utilities deliberation nan powerfulness works would besides person to spell idle for up to 7 months a year. They’ve indicated the economics astir apt wouldn’t pencil out anymore, and it would apt beryllium decommissioned.

Eklutna Lake is tucked into nan Chugach Mountains not acold from Anchorage. (Abbey Collins/Alaska Public Media)

But, betwixt nan utilities releasing their draught plan successful October 2023, and nan last scheme they sent to nan governor, nan utilities did make immoderate changes to create a imaginable way to build infrastructure later for food to travel and spell from nan lake. 

Are location immoderate alternatives to nan utilities’ plan?

The utilities studied a batch of different options, weighing retired pros and cons, costs and benefits. That analysis is portion of nan scheme documents. 

Outside of that process, nan Native Village of Eklutna precocious pitched a caller proposal of its own. They want to build caller infrastructure that would fto food walk nan dam. Village officials declare nan costs would beryllium successful nan aforesaid ballpark arsenic nan utilities’ proposal, and that their scheme could guidelines alone, aliases complement nan utilities’ plan. The village president said nan transportation sewage a very cool reception from nan utilities. 

What happens next? 

The politician is successful a remark play that’s constricted to nan parties to the privatization statement from 1991, which includes 2 national food and wildlife agencies, nan authorities and nan city. They person until June 24 to effort to sway nan governor. Then there’s a 30-day consequence play for nan plan’s authors. 

The politician has an Oct. 2 deadline to reappraisal nan plan, comments and immoderate alternatives, and to effort to soft retired disagreements. 

Jeff Turner, a spokesperson for nan governor, said nan agency is analyzing nan proposal, and leaning connected taxable matter experts successful nan authorities Department of Natural Resources for method advice. 

But a batch of different things could hap extracurricular of nan governor’s process. 

For one, nan Anchorage Assembly has fundamental problems pinch really nan scheme came together, nan section taxation dollars it seems to perpetrate without its approval, and nan owners group’s usage of confidentiality for processes nan Assembly thinks should person been public. 

The metropolis is really the mostly owner of nan Eklutna Hydroelectric Project, but Chugach Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association power it because of immoderate analyzable regulatory issues and section betwixt nan Assembly and Bronson administration. 
Chair Chris Constant said recently that nan Assembly is trying to do everything it tin to asseverate itself earlier taking nan utilities to court.

And on his podcast, Nat Herz of nan Northern Journal precocious asked Aaron Leggett, nan president of nan Native Village of Eklutna:

“Is location decidedly going to beryllium a lawsuit, would you say?”

Leggett didn’t opportunity anything. After a agelong pause, Herz laughed and said, “That’s a awesome answer, actually.”

Where tin I study more? 

The owners group publishes its materials astir nan process astatine this website: eklutnahydro.com.

A conjugation aligned pinch Eklutna publishes its ain accusation here: eklutnariver.org.